Chapter 9:
Mandila woke up feeling comfortably warm, and something soft rubbed against her cheek, causing her to snuggled deeper against its touch. She was vaguely aware that this was not her home, but she was not ready to open her eyes yet, and thank the gods, but the itchiness had vanished. Wherever she was, it couldn't be that bad, and since there was no way that she'd be given such a soft blanket in prison, she figured that no harm could come from sleeping in a little longer.
"Are you awake?" a soft voice called, and Mandila's eyes immediately snapped open. She was sprawled on a cot in a long room that was lined with similar beds, most of which were empty, and a small Argonian female was bending over to get a closer look at her face. While it was disconcerting to awaken to a pair of beady eyes hovering over her, Mandila did not miss the tray of food that the woman bore, and the delicious smell of soup made her stomach growl loudly. Given how hungry she felt, the Argonian could be presenting her with troll and she'd probably still eat it.
"Where am I?" she asked, rolling from her side onto her back, and scooting into a sitting position. Her back rested against the stone wall, and she could now see that the voluminous chamber around her was brightly lit by multiple windows cut high into the walls. Thin beams of light filtered through them, the rays reaching for her bed but not quite making it, and some cast colorful patterns across the floor because of the stained glass through which they fell. On closer inspection, Mandila realized that the decorative windows bore images of the Nine.
"You're in the Haven," the Argonian was explaining.
"The temple is not this large," Mandila thought aloud, confused as to why this building was so religiously decorated if it was not the actual temple. The Argonian chuckled as she set her tray down on Mandila's lap and offered her a spoon.
"This is a separate building, but we work together with the temple to heal those who are sick. Sometimes the gods do not answer prayers in the way that we think they should, and those individuals come here for recovery." Mandila lowered her head and stared at the spoon in her hand, her mood falling as she realized what that must mean.
"The gods wouldn't heal me?" she questioned.
"Now child," the other woman assured, a clawed hand resting gently on Mandila's shoulder. "Do not take it personally or as a sign of ill-favor. You weren't coherent enough to pray at the alter, and if you don't call on them, I daresay that the gods are not always watching every person running around down here. A guard brought you here to recover instead." Mandila nodded in understanding, and the Argonian grabbed her hand and pushed her spoon toward the soup. "Eat, child. You need to get your strength up. You haven't had a proper meal in days."
"Days?" Mandila gasped, shocked that so much time had passed. "How long have I been here?"
"A good four days, most of which you slept through, so we've had a hard time getting food and drink into you. I'll bring you some water if you wish." Mandila hurriedly accepted the offer, suddenly aware of how dry and sore her throat felt. Four days? She couldn't believe that as the woman left to get the promised drink, and in the meantime, Mandila dug into the soup with a zest that made her look like an animal. No one was watching anyway, so who cared? The last spoonful went into her mouth, and she smile with contentment, now having a happy tummy to match her healed body.
But what had happened? Mandila tried to recall what had brought her here, but she only drew blanks. She had argued with Lex, and fairly aggressively at that, and he then had told her to go to the temple because she was unwell. Even though she didn't remember refusing, she was sure that she had, and the Argonian had said that a guard brought her here, so Lex must have made use of his authority. Had—she didn't know if she should dare think it—but had Lex personally brought her here against her will? Had he momentarily forsaken his tax collecting in order to care for her? There was no possible way, but she still sighed with concern and wistfulness while trying to reconstruct the last few days. Her focus was cut short when a jug of water was thrust in front of her face.
"Here you are," the Argonian stated, and smiled when Mandila nearly drank the entire container in one fell swoop. With a long, satisfied breath, the elf set the empty jug aside and rearranged herself on the bed, reaching around to touch her back and check for scars.
"I'm guessing that the infection was bad," she said.
"Oh yes. It took quite a lot of work to mend the wound, but you're fine now. You're lucky that you came in when you did, because magic spells can leave damaged nerves if you're not careful. I've seen people paralyzed by destruction attacks like the one you suffered." Destruction attacks? Mandila wanted to moan in annoyance, because if her nurse had figured out what had happened, she was sure that Lex had too. Hell, the two had probably spoken, which brought something else to mind...
"How did I get here?"
"A guard brought you in, but he didn't seem to know what to do with you other than leave you on our doorstep. We couldn't turn you away, so we cared for you, but we had no idea who you were until a captain of the guard came to check on you." Mandila felt a strange sensation in her gut—like the one that always came with the first sip of a strong cognac—as she imagined Lex standing over her sleeping form, keeping an eye on her. It was such a calming and comforting thought, for with a man like Lex looking out for you, could anything touch you? She smiled at the healer, and soon her curiosity overflowed.
"What did the captain do?" she asked.
"Hieronymus stopped by that second day and asked how you were doing. We didn't know who he was talking about at first, but when he saw you, he confirmed your identity."
"Did he come back?" Mandila eagerly asked. "I can't remember." The Argonian chuckled and shook her head.
"No, child. Once he knew that you were recovering, he didn't come back, but he did tell us to take very good care of you. He's like that, as I'm sure you know." What?
"You sound like you know him," Mandila mused, wondering how this Argonian was connected to the captain, or perhaps she had simply heard of his reputation for following the law to an unemotional letter.
"The captain is familiar with the Haven, and I wouldn't want to break his trust by saying anything more. If you wish, you might ask him yourself, but don't expect him to be very forthcoming. Then again, I was surprised to see that he came here to check on you, so perhaps..." Mandila accepted what little she was given, deciding to pester Lex about this later, and stretched her arms, ready to leave except that a thought was troubling her.
"How much do I owe you?" she carefully asked, worried that it would be more than she could afford.
"Nothing," the Argonian assured. "We give our services free of charge. If you wish to repay our patron for our services, then perhaps you will come to the temple to pray at times, but that is all any of us would ask of you." Mandila did not like the idea of hanging about at the temple, but she found herself more accepting of the thought now that she'd been tended by temple healers. These people were kinder than most, and they had taken care of her despite the fact that they'd probably seen lockpicks on her. Perhaps temples were not so horrible after all, especially since there hadn't been any signs of magic.
"I'll keep your request in mind," Mandila promised her healer. "Thank you for everything, and I think that I'll be going now. I've already lost fours days of my life to sleep. Seems like a waste." With a grin, she bounced out of bed and winked at the Argonian. "Good day."
"A left and then a right," the woman instructed with a smile. "Then you'll be in the Temple District. Good luck, Mandila." The thief waved and was gone, excited to be back in perfect health, and feeling energetic after so many days of napping. Plus, Lex had stopped in to make sure that she was fine, and for that, she was more pleased than ever. He might have angered her the other day, but she would never again question whether or not he cared. He cared. He cared. He cared. She wanted to announce it to the people surrounding her on the street, but then she would look as if Sheogorath had been messing with her head, and she would be degrading her status by doing so anyway. If she had been betraying the guild before simply by wanting to know more about Lex, than being elated over having been protected by him was suicide worthy.
Gods, but somehow she had wormed her way into the man's awareness, and in return he had done something for her that was special, at least to her. She paused as she neared the pathway leading from the inner city to the harbor, wondering if he would be there. He was the first person that she yearned to see, which would be a problem. If she wanted to cradle and protect what small connection she had formed with the captain, she would need to be careful, for she was already walking on Armand's bad side. What if he had seen Lex taking care of her...again...
This was complicated. She was falling for Lex, and not in a little way, but in a way that she thought comparable to jumping off of the city walls, and on the way down, she was hitting obstacles that could ruin her, meaning that she had to decide if this was worth it. For one, nothing would result from this except perhaps some sort of playful friendship that teetered somewhere between antagonism and fondness, and risking her status in the guild for that seemed foolish but enticing. And even if it was foolish, was there any going back? Mandila honestly didn't think that she could stop thinking about and wanting more from Lex, not after what had been happening, and so the recent string of events was a conundrum that was as conflicting and electrifying as the first day that she'd dared to talk to him.
You are doomed Mandila. Doomed!
Every time that something new happened between them, the Bosmer felt herself being pulled further into her fascination with Lex, wanting more than the last time. Whereas she had once been content watching, she became content talking, and now she was moving passed that stage to...? Gods, not that. It was impossible, and she had to stop. She had to for her own good, but she was looking for him now, at least wanting to see him and let him know that she was okay.
But don't go to him. Yes, if she wanted to keep her newfound position with the captain, she had to balance how close she allowed herself to get unless she wanted to open herself to emotional pain. He might not be affected, but she would certainly grow more attached to him until the lines between whose side she was on truly blurred, which it hadn't yet. So she would maintain what they had and stay loyal to the guild, but that meant that no one could know how she felt, and so she would not go to him now, just to show that she had some self-control. She hated seeing him standing there and walking in the opposite direction, but doing otherwise might jeopardize what little she had. That man could destroy her. Maybe he already was.
"You're back!" Methredhel shouted, happily appearing and engulfing her friend in a hug. Mandila returned the surprise embrace with a laugh, knowing that she had been missed.
"Yeah, and I'm back to normal," she promised.
"You scared us," her sister complained. "Armand didn't know that your wound was that bad, and when we saw that guard taking you away...well, we thought that maybe you'd gotten yourself in trouble. Everyone heard you yelling at Lex, and—oh, it's good to see you again!" Another hug nearly suffocated Mandila, and in a rare display of seriousness, Methredhel pulled away and placed hands on either of Mandila's shoulders. "You did well to tell him off, sister. That was brave of you, and everyone was so happy to see someone stand up to him. I didn't believe it when Armand told me that Lex was the one that had you sent to the temple, but whatever his reasons, I'm glad."
"Me too," Mandila said. Me too.
"Wasn't he angry with you?" Methredhel pressed.
"Yes, but he's very responsible. He could see that I was unwell, and a dead body on his watch would probably look bad on his record." Methredhel laughed, and pulled a small bag out of her belt.
"These are yours. I took them from your house in case someone searched it while you were away," she explained, passing the bag into Mandila's hand. From the feel of it, the younger Bosmer knew that it held her lockpicks. "You never know. Lex might have sent you away so that he could search your house. It's possible, and Armand thinks that he's taken an interest in you because he wants a spy."
"What?" Mandila demanded. "That's ridiculous. He doesn't think that I'd actually agree to something like that, does he?" Methredhel only shook her head and sighed in exasperation.
"No, he doesn't think that you'd knowingly betray us, but he doesn't want the captain around. He's worried about your safety." Mandila lost the rest of Methredhel's words as she glanced to the side and saw Lex watching her. He dipped his head in a silent greeting, and Mandila grinned, raising a hand and waving when Methredhel turned to lead the way back to her house for a small celebration. Mandila couldn't be sure, but she thought that Lex's mouth relaxed into a satisfied line, which nearly broke her resolve to not immediately flock to him. A smile of gratitude could suffice, but perhaps it wouldn't be so terrible if she just went over there for a moment. They'd only be talking.
"Don't be slow!" Methredhel chastised, and Mandila rushed to catch up to her friend. Armand stood ahead of them, a bag of foodstuffs in his hand as Mandila waved in greeting. With him watching, she definitely couldn't go speak with Lex. If she looked eager to see the captain, her standing would sink even lower. Perhaps later in the day she could do as she pleased, and with a sick realization, an unsettling thought hit her: she was sneaking around behind the guild's back to talk to someone? She wasn't sure if the disturbance she felt had more to do with the fear of being caught or the guilt of being attracted to the enemy, but Lex was too important for her to stop seeking him out. Plus, she was convinced that she could somehow balance for job and infatuation now that she admitted how deeply the quicksand of her affections had dragged her under.
She ate and drank with her friends, several people stopping by to make sure that she had escaped Lex's grasp intact, and others praising her boldness at confronting the captain. Mandila didn't understand why they should worry so, but to them Lex was only a heartless villain and the sworn enemy of their hero, the Grey Fox. He was also Mandila's sworn enemy, but as she finally succeeded in blocking out the world by shutting her front door, she couldn't view Lex as a fiend, and the urge to see him only intensified when she found a note on her bed. She recognized the seal on the letter as that of the guards, and she unfolded the parchment to be faced with a single line: My office, six o'clock.
Lex.
Mandila held the note, knowing that this would be incriminating evidence against her if anyone, especially Armand, ever saw it, but she did not want to be rid of it. She had never seen Lex's handwriting, and she carefully examined the paper with its crisp, smooth lettering. It was very professional looking, but of course he would have attended school and undergone training, which she had never even imagined doing given her poor background. It was very nice handwriting, and tempting fate, she refolded the letter and slid it into her pillowcase, silly as it was. There was no reason to keep it other than the fact that she impulsively wanted to, and that was reason enough for her.
There was a problem about this meeting though, for the time would be noticeable, and Lex's office was positioned on the waterfront since the guard tower only consisted of sleeping quarters and storage. There was no appropriate and private space to meet there, except perhaps in the captain's room, but Mandila didn't think that she'd be comfortable in his chambers, even if the idea was tempting. She wondered what sort of things she could learn by rooting through his personal belongings, and what kind of objects would he have in his bedroom...?
Mandila! Okay, she had to focus, and she had to tell him that she wasn't coming, for the guild would never take it lightly if she was seen having an official meeting with him in his office. Talk about a bad idea, and this would be stressful enough without the guild involved, for Lex was interested in the Grey Fox, and Mandila would need to be exceptionally careful in order to escape this meeting unscathed. But first the guild had to be dealt with, so the only solution was to meet Lex somewhere else, and later in the evening at that. Then she'd be covered, for she went out every evening anyway, and she had a few ideas as to where she'd like to meet the captain, most of which were so entertaining that she almost forgot the seriousness of what he wanted to discuss with her. This was not going to be a pleasant evening out...unless she forced it to become that way.
With a conniving smile, she exited her house and moved toward the harbor. It was only early afternoon, and so Lex would be leaving for his lunch. Actually, he would have already left, but she could catch him if she was fast, which settled the issue. She took off at a sprint, back into the city, and toward the Market. When she spotted him, she slowed and chose to pounce on him when he entered a side street with fewer people on it. Between the main wall and a row of houses, Mandila announced herself with a much softer 'hello' then she'd have normally employed, but Lex responded in the same manner regardless. He stopped, turned, and offered her a formal reply that made her feel like she was just an average citizen going about her day.
"I wanted to thank you for making sure that I was treated," Mandila told him.
"I'm here to serve," Lex replied, but Mandila knowingly smiled in a way that rather unnerved him.
"You could just say 'you're welcome," she teased. "And whether or not it was your duty, I appreciate it. You...you were right. I should have gone to the temple right after I was attacked."
"I thought that it was an accident?" Lex challenged, eyebrows arched.
"My mistake," she fumbled, flustered, and Lex merely stared at her with a very doubtful expression, but he must have been feeling merciful, for he didn't try to arrest her for questioning. "I got your letter," Mandila continued, trying to change the topic before he pursued it.
"Good, and I expect that I made myself perfectly clear. A note to the wise: I do not like tardiness." Hesitation, and then: "I'm glad to see that you're better."
"Thanks to you," she softly replied, her voice the embodiment of gratitude. "But, I'm afraid that I can't make your meeting." The sudden switch to a playful mood threw Lex for a loop as it took him a second to register what she had said. Then his eyes narrowed, but Mandila had expected that, for he hated defiance.
"It is not optional," he informed her, his tone threatening her with force if she were to refuse him, and she did not doubt that he'd drag her into his office in order to question her about the Grey Fox, but this couldn't work like that. "You will come to the meeting, or I will request a warrant for your arrest on grounds of obstructing justice."
"I'm not arguing," she stated, and he watched her serious expression with suspicion.
"Then what is the problem?" he demanded, expecting some ridiculous and teasing response.
"We can't meet at your office, and it has to be later during the night." Her request clearly surprised him, and she knew that it sounded odd, but there was no helping it. This had to be done. "Look," she said. "I know that you'll never leave me alone until I talk to you about this." And it's an excuse to spend time with you. "So I'd like to get this over with, but..." She ground her teeth together, trying to think of a less conspicuous way to state this. "But I will not go in your office even if you try to drag me there kicking and screaming." She stood waiting for his response, and judging by the firm set to his face, he had already begun speculating as to why she couldn't be seen with him.
"Why?" It was a simple question—one syllable and easily understood, but for such a tiny word, it could cause a world of trouble.
"I won't answer your question," she honestly told him, for an answer would mean incriminating herself, and he knew it. She could tell by the way his eyes bore into hers as if trying to force the answer from her.
"If you are worried about someone," he tactfully suggested, "You should know that I'd protect you." Mandila shook her head with a resigned smile, shooting him an apologetic look that he could not interpret.
"I don't know about that, sir." Not once you heard the truth, and I wouldn't betray my guild to you anyway.
"Just as mistrustful as the rest of the waterfront," Lex derisively snorted. "You led me to believe that you thought differently than the regular rabble, but perhaps not. Either give me a reason to compromise with you, or I'll try the 'kicking and screaming' method." He was looking old again, and Mandila wondered if it had something to do with her words. He probably thought that she was just another mocker beneath her claims, and that bothered her, for she didn't want him to think that. She didn't want him to tune her out because of one stupid comment.
"I trust you," she told him, and she meant it. "I know that you would try to protect me, but sometimes you can't have the straightforward report that you'd like, sir. It's not that I doubt you..."
"You don't think that I'm capable of protecting you?" he said, clearly offended, and Mandila rushed to correct him.
"No!" and she almost reached out and grabbed him to drive her point home. "You could protect me, and you're one of the few people who have ever tried, but I prefer to take care of myself. If you want this meeting, I have a few suggestions for a place that would be better." His expression told her that he was not ready to give up, and he even appeared ready to challenge her again before he thought better of it and shut his mouth. Mandila marveled that he cared enough to be debating this, and then she realized that he had probably been testing her—seeing if she had meant her prior, appreciative words or if she had only been playing with him as her tone often suggested. Well, she was playing with him, but not just playing, and now she wanted something that she'd never be able to have.
"Let's hear your suggestions," Lex finally said, willing to give in if it meant getting information on the Grey Fox.
"There's a nice bar on..."
"No," he cut her off. Mandila scrunched her face in a frown and quickly conjured other suggestions.
"What about the...Haven?" She had been comfortable there, and she knew that Lex had some connection to the place, so he might also agree. "It's quiet, private, and the people there already know us. From what I gathered, perhaps you'd be able to ensure that they don't mention our presence to anyone..." Lex watched her, wondering who she'd been talking to, but finding her suggestion an intelligent one all the same.
"The Haven then," he agreed. "Ten o'clock."
"Ten o'clock it is. Are you bringing the drinks and food, or am I?"
"Just be there, Mandila, and none of your games." The smile gracing her pretty features made him doubt the effect of his words.